A family in context.

Do we choose to be deceived?

Maybe you don’t think that you are being deceived, or you are completely unaware of it. Our decisions on where we look and what we accept determines how we filter the information that comes through us. If we believe that, say for instance the Earth is only 6k yrs old, then anything that disagrees with that belief, even the strongest data, would not find acceptance in our minds. We will not be convinced if our belief is otherwise. Why? Sometimes people choose to reject information on personal matters, e.g. some kind of abuse happening in their own home, why? Why do we try not to see? I think it is our of self preservation, of our definition of wellbeing.

We are a part of system, a community, a family, a faith, etc., and disruption of that could bring what we see as truth/reality/cohesion crashing down. If our lives depend on the system that we are a part of, departure from that is very scary. Being left out of your clan in the old days meant death, we can’t survive on our own, we needed protection from the elements. Today, we function in largely the same way. Even politically. If you don’t agree with every aspect of some political party, you are ostracized. If you buy into it all, you are accepted, and more than love possibly, we desire to be accepted. We all do this, but in order to move past it, we require a large dose of humility, to admit that maybe our way of seeing things, is not correct (Even at the expense of being rejected by our community/family/friends). We shouldn’t fear truth, we should be seeking it, even if it means turning over all the rocks of belief in our mind and questioning what’s under it? Why do we believe it? Where did this belief come from? Have I ever questioned it? And should I be challenging myself to understand beyond it. I will leave with one of my favorite quotes: